In Pixar’s Cars 2, Mater is visiting Japan when he is mistaken for a spy.
The film opens with a secret-agent operation in which Finn McMissile investigates an attack connected to a mysterious conspiracy. Mater travels to Japan with Lightning McQueen for the first World Grand Prix event. After a series of misunderstandings, British agents mistake Mater’s accidental observations and unusual behavior for the actions of a highly skilled undercover operative.
Japan is the first major setting in the World Grand Prix storyline. The film later moves to Italy and England, giving Cars 2 a broader international structure than the first Cars movie. The Japanese setting includes Tokyo landmarks, neon-lit streets, and the opening race environment.
This fact is distinct from the spy character’s identity and from the name of the fictional race. Mater is not deliberately working as an agent when the misunderstanding begins. His accidental role becomes central to the comedy and eventually helps expose the conspiracy.